GAZA: Israeli warplanes struck two urban refugee camps in central Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration approved a new emergency weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international ceasefire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave.
Even a brief halt in fighting seems out of reach. A senior Hamas official said in Beirut on Saturday that the group had not budged from its position that a permanent ceasefire has to be the starting point for any further releases of Israeli and foreign hostages the group holds, which runs counter to a recent proposal by Egypt for a staged end to the war.
It’s a demand Israel is bound to reject. Israel has said it will pursue its unprecedented air and ground offensive until it has dismantled Hamas, a goal viewed by some as unattainable because of the militant group’s deep roots in Palestinian society.
The US has shielded Israel diplomatically and has continued to supply weapons. Israel argues that ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas, a stance shared by the Biden administration which at the same time urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to Palestinian civilians.
The war, triggered by the deadly October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, has displaced some 85% of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents, sending swells of people seeking shelter in Israeli-designated safe areas that the military has nevertheless also bombed. That has left Palestinians with a harrowing sense that nowhere is safe in the tiny enclave.
The US State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told the Congress he approved a USD 147.5 million sale for equipment, including fuses, charges and primers, that is needed for 155 mm shells Israel bought previously. Blinken made a similar decision on December 9 to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than USD 106 million.